And the Walls Came Tumbling Down
by Sensaiman
Summary: On a cold February morning the wall finally disintegrates.


And the Walls Came Tumbling Down

A Castle Fanfiction

By

Sensaiman

**_Summary: ... _when the final part of the wall she had spent the last 14 years building around her heart disintegrated...**

_**.**_

_**AN 1: I know it's been awhile since I posted. Honestly I was not going to write anything because I am mad at A. Marlowe and Co. for making us wait a season and a half for our Caskett to get together but this story started keeping me awake and so here it is. For those of you who love to point fingers and scream "OOC" please read AN2 at the end of the story. As a side note to Mr. Marlowe, [if he ever reads this] by not getting KB and RC**_

_**together you are basically saying that you do not trust your writers to be able to pull off the relationship in their writing.**_

_**Disclaimer: Castle is the property of ABC and Andrew Marlowe.**_

It was on a cold morning in late February, and Katherine Beckett (NYPD) was reading the Crime Scene Unit's report on yesterday's scene, when the final part of the wall she had spent the last 14 years building around her heart disintegrated. If she was being honest with herself (_and Kate was getting pretty good at being honest with herself)_ after yesterday's episode she was expecting it. Ever since the murder of her mother, Kate had been building the wall to keep those she really cared about at bay, and no one had been able to breach it; not her Dad, not Lanie, nor Ryan or Esposito, nor any of her erstwhile boyfriends, no one! Until him! (_Him was currently sitting next to her typing furiously on his iPad_.)

If the truth were told the wall had been breaking down a little at a time ever since they had resumed their partnership last fall. It had begun gradually one brick at a time, but as the months had progressed and the cases had become more intense whole sections had begun falling, until by yesterday only three sections of the wall remained.

Yesterday!

It had started out like most other days at the 12th, coffee and banter with Castle and her boys, then paper work. Things went on like that until they got the call at 11:00 a.m. A body had dropped at the Ritz Carlton. Beckett, with Castle in tow, had driven to the scene, had taken the elevator to the 4th floor, had entered room 407; and then had her world spin out of control. There on the floor, with Lanie kneeling beside it, lay the body of Johanna Beckett. Kate had drawn one shuddering breath, turned and fled. She had made it down the hall and through the fire doors before she broke down. It was less than a minute later that she felt his arms around her. In the past she would have tensed and pulled away, but now he was so far in that she simply collapsed into his embrace and sobbed. He hadn't said anything (_hadn't needed to_) he had simply held her with his head resting on hers until she was able to get herself under control. When she had straitened up, he had placed a single kiss on the top of her head, held out his hand, and walked her back to the scene.

The victim had, of course, not been Kate's mother, she had been a lawyer named Jane Brent, but she had looked so much like her mom with her long chestnut hair, slim figure, and long legs, that Kate's breakdown had been understandable.

On the drive back to the 12th, she had taken her hand off the wheel, placed it on Rick 's knee, and said, "Thanks, Castle."

"Always", had been the reply, and all but one last section of the wall had crumbled.

All that had happened yesterday, and now Kate sat at her desk, with her partner working beside her, reading about the blood spatter pattern on the wall of room 407. She had just gotten to the tech's conclusions, when without even thinking, she reached out for her coffee, and found it right where it always was. As she took a sip of the wonderful hot vanilla ambrosia, she turned to look at the man who had brought it to her almost everyday for the last 4 years.

Rick's nimble fingers flew over the touch screen keyboard, as the latest adventure of Kate's alter ego, Nikki Heat, poured out of his agile brain. For a few exhilarating moments, she fantasized about what those fingers would do to her **when**_ (it hadn't been "if" for over a year_) she finally gave into him.

It was while she was indulging in these deliciously erotic musings that the event happened that destroyed the wall forever. Rick had stopped writing and was reading over his last entry. Suddenly inspiration struck, and with furrowed brow, and a look of intense concentration, he began typing again. Kate stared at him fascinated, and suddenly she watched him stick the tip of his tongue out of the corner of his mouth, and for a moment he looked just like the 9 year old he was at heart, and suddenly the wall was gone, completely totally gone. It hadn't exploded, or crumbled it had simply disintegrated, and her heart was open, and free and irretrievably _**his**_, and in that moment she knew that his heart was _**hers**_, had been hers for a long time, was hers forever and always.

As soon as the full realization of what had happened hit her, Kate leaped from her chair, muttered a hurried, "I need to see Lanie, Rick", and rushed to the elevator. Three minutes later she was bursting through the lab doors shouting, "Lanie I need help".

"What's wrong girl?", the M.E, had screamed.

"The wall is down.", was the reply.

"The wall?", Lanie asked.

"Four months ago, I told Castle that I couldn't be in a relationship with him, or anyone else because I had built a wall around my heart. And now the wall is gone."

"Just like that?', the petite brunette asked.

"No it's been crumbling for awhile now. I thought that during those three months I spent away from him that I had made it almost impregnable, but when I saw him again this fall, I knew I had been wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"I told you I went to his book signing.", Kate said.

"Yeah."

"When I saw him sitting there looking so sad and, broken, I felt one of the bricks crumble, and that completely freaked me out. If just looking at him could make a brick fall, what would happen if he tried to move our relationship further?"

"What did you do?", Lanie questioned.

"We went to a park, and I told him I couldn't be with anyone until I solved my mother's murder. I'm not sure if **he** thought it was true or not , but even as I said it I knew it **wasn't true, **that it was just a way of keeping him at a distance. I also lied and told him I didn't remember what he said to me when I was shot.'

"When you were shot? What did he say?"

"He told me he loved me.'

"Oh Kate", Lanie exclaimed, "How could you do that to him?"

"I was still hurt, and frightened. I wasn't sure I could be me again, and if I couldn't how could I burden him with a broken person."

"But he loves you, honey"

"I know, but then he just accepted what I said and we began to work together again. And at first things seemed to be going the way I wanted. Castle brought me coffee, we bantered, and it seemed normal. Then things started to change inside me. Every time he did one of his sweet or silly things I would feel a brick or two crumble. Then after the superhero case it stopped being bricks and became whole sections of the wall. It seemed that with each case more and mores sections fell. Until yesterday there were only three sections left. Two of those crumbled while Rick held me as I broke down after seeing the body. Lainie, at first I thought it was my mom lying on the floor next to you, but he was there, he held me and I was okay. He makes me feel strong, and whole. And then today, I was drinking my coffee, and Rick was writing, and then, oh Lanie, he stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth just like a little kid doing his homework

and he just looked so cute, and so Castle, I couldn't stop it; the wall just disappeared, and before I knew it my heart flew to him, and now I am his. What do I do? Lanie I've been lying to him for 8 months, how do I turn around now and tell Richard Castle I love him?"

"Why don't you show him how you feel first?" Lanie suggested.

"What do you mean?"

"Just treat him like what he is, the man you love."

"Lanie that's a great idea. Thanks", and Kate turned and headed for the Morgue door.

"Remember, Girl, I'm going to want details."

With a laugh, Kate headed out the door and back upstairs. The rest of the morning she put Lanie's plan into effect. At first Rick was so intent on his writing that he was virtually oblivious to the change in Kate's behavior. He barely realized when she touched him, or when she called him Rick. A couple of times she had even fed him Skittles and he had barely noticed. It wasn't until lunch in the break room that he became aware that something was up. At 11:00 a.m. he had volunteered to go get food from their favorite Chinese restaurant, Green Bow, and now they were sitting together in the break room eating. The first thing Rick noticed was that, instead of sitting across from him as she usually did, Kate had picked up her chair and was now sitting beside him.

The next thing he knew, Kate had reached over, wiped a little speck of hoisin sauce that had gotten on his chin with her finger, and looking him straight in the eye had licked it off with her tongue and smiled at him. A few minutes later, Kate had exclaimed, "Oh God, Rick, this honey walnut shrimp is amazing, here you have to try it", and before he could reach for it, she had picked up a shrimp with her chopsticks and placed it in his mouth. By the time lunch was over he was totally confused by Kate and her affectionate actions.

The smiles, touches, and loving glances continued throughout the afternoon until by five o'clock Rick was sure something new was going on. so it actually came as no surprise to him when Kate tuned to him and said "Ricky, since Alexis and Martha are both out tonight (_he had told her both his mother and his daughter were not sleeping in the loft tonigh_t) why don't I take you to Remy's for dinner and then we could go back to the loft and… relax?" The way Kate had purred the word "relax", caused Rick's mind to explode with dozens of erotic images.

"Uh relax, Kate. Are you sue you want to go home and relax with me?"

"Yes, we've have a hard couple of weeks, and I think I would love a relaxing night with my partner".

The way she breathed the term "partner" gave the word every nuance that it contained, it was clear that to Kate "partner" now meant friend, colleague, lover, and most importantly _**life mate**_.

Confused, unsure, but at the same time elated, Rick agreed, and arm in arm they set off for "_their_" place.

When they reached Remys, the same thing happened that had happened in the break room. Ordinarily Kate sat on one side of the booth, and Rick sat on the other; but tonight when Kate slid into the booth she moved to the center, and giving him a blazing smile, patted the seat next to her. When Rick hesitated, she scooted over, grabbed his hand and literally pulled him into the booth beside her. No sooner had Rick gotten seated, then Kate pressed her leg up against his in what could only be interpreted as an intimate gesture. Rick had had enough.

"Kate", he began, "What in the…"

Before he could finish the question, Kate shushed him, and put a finger up to his lips.

"Listen", she said, " I have something to tell you, baby."

Rick, who had started to take a drink of his water, sputtered and stared at her. For a second Kate couldn't understand what had caused the look of shock on his face. Then she realized that she had just called him "baby"; at the look of surprise in those cobalt blue eyes, she thought to herself, "Well Castle you might as well get used to it, because I'm going to be calling you "baby" for the rest of your life."

"Rick", she began again, "I have something to tell you. You know how I've told over and over that I don't remember what happened the day I was shot."

Rick nodded.

"Well that isn't true"

"You remember", Rick said before she could continue.

Ashamedly, Kate nodded her head.

"Kate, you've always remembered haven't you?"

Another nod

"And you lied, because you weren't ready, right?"

Again, Kate nodded her head.

"And today something happened to change that?", Rick asked.

"Not just today, but for the last 4 months. The wall has been crumbling, and today it finally disappeared and, baby, I am so sorry that I lied to you", Kate whispered.

"It's okay, Honey ", Rick said taking her hand, "I think I've known all along that you remembered."

"How could you have known?", Kate interlaced her fingers with his.

"The way you would look at me sometimes, the way you would smile, and that time in the bank when you grabbed my jacket. I knew you were feeling something more than just friendship. But Kate you're going to have to tell me how you feel. I mean after today I think I know, but I need to be sure."

For a moment Kate thought she was just going to tell him how she felt, but then, remembering Lanie's advice, she realized it would be so much better to show him, so she turned, took his face in her hands and kissed him long and slowly. Their first kiss, back when they had rescued Ryan and Esposito had been fueled by fear and adrenaline, this one was fueled by love, and desire, and lust, but above all with forever.

When she pulled away, her hands dropped to his shoulders and stayed there, "Does that answer your question, baby?"

"Oh yeah, Honey, oh yeah".

Suddenly they both became aware of a sound ringing through the restaurant, with horror Rick realized that the serving staff and even some of the customers were applauding.

"Oh God, Kate", he exclaimed, "What are we going to do? We'll probably be on You Tube, before we finish our burgers."

"So", was her unexpected reply.

"But I assumed you would want to keep this quiet."

"Quiet?", she laughed rubbing her hands across his shoulders, "Baby, you're Richard Freaking Castle. You are a bestselling author; their about to have the premiere of the movie based on the first book about you wrote me here in New York, which by the way you are taking me to, how in the world could we ever keep this quiet. Besides, I love you, and I want the Serena Kayes, the Natalie Greys, and all the deep fried Twinkies of the world to know that you –are- mine. You are mine aren't you?", she asked half jokingly.

"Always", was his sincere reply.

"Then don't worry about it. Everything will work out. Tomorrow we'll tell Lanie and the boys, so they can collect their bets, and start the pool on when we're getting married. And we'll write a simple statement and have Paula give it to the press. Now, Castle take me home and relax me."

And with that Kate pushed him to the end of the booth and they stood up. Grabbing his arm, and melting into his side, they strolled out of Remys, and as they sauntered Rick began to softly whistle a tune. As she walked, with her head on Rick's shoulder, Kate recognized the tune but couldn't remember the name of the song.

[_Joshua fit the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho, Joshua fit the battle of Jericho and the walls came a tumbling down]_

Hours later the three kittens that Alexis was fostering for a friend at Animal Rescue Inc. were awakened by strange sounds coming from the big man's bedroom. There were sighs, and giggles, and moans, and screams. Kate and Rick, Honey and Baby were shouted, sighed, and purred repeatedly. "I love you" continuously soared to the skies as two people repeatedly flew to heaven. Finally minutes or hours later the kittens heard the humans say to one another

"Kate, I love you so much."

"Ricky I'll love you forever and always."

Fin

_**AN2. Before you get the torches out and burn me in effigy, yes I know they are OOC, thank you. But really isn't part of the fun of writing Fanfiction taking characters that we love and playing around with them. (I mean other writers have made Kate a vampire and a zombie) With regards to KB becoming overly affectionate after her wall crumbles, in my defense we've seen a little glimpse of that side of her. In the episodes during season 2 with Deming, Kate kissed him IN THE PRECINCT, and the one time we saw her in a quasi romantic moment with Josh [ugh!] she walked out of the precinct holding onto his belt loop, so maybe when the wall falls and she and Castle really get together we will see an affectionate Kate. **_

_**Anyway thanks for reading and as always please review.**_


End file.
